Leaving Tonight
by marykatebooks
Summary: "After all, you have to make peace with your past so it won't bother your future." Avery makes the desperate decision to leave the life she knows for the life she wants with Karl by her side. [Kavery] AU and a bit OOC; Older!Fic
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guy's, thanks for your reviews on my previous story 'So Over Wess.'. I'm excited about this. Read &amp; Review!**

**Don't own anything.**

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Pouring rain filled the room with the sound of the storm, at full rage, against the window. Inside the house, lay a restless 26 year old man. He sighed, looking towards the window. Oh, how much he desired to be asleep. He received immense comfort from the sleep he got. No work was needed and his worries faded away. Although his pajamas consisted of a grey tank top and his boxers, he still felt hot. Staring at the clock, it read '_2:30 AM'. _Apparently, tonight he would not be getting any sleep. Standing up, he strolled out of his room to the kitchen. Lying in bed would do Karl no good.

Opening the fridge door, he looked for his desired drink. Having found it, he closed the door and grabbed the glass from the cupboards and pour the white liquid into the cup. Before he could take a sip, the doorbell rang. _'A guest, at this time a night?' _Walking over to the door, he looked through the peephole. The person on the other side shocked him.

Opening the door, he stood in front of Avery and a very young girl, both in their pajamas and a coat. They were both wet from standing out in the rain. The look on her face reflected the sleepiness and stress she was feeling. Her eyes were circled by deep purple lines that told of long sleepless nights. Her lips parted in a sharp curve that spoke of emotional pain.

"Hi." She said, breaking the silence.

"Hi."

"Look," she sighed "I know I should be here, especially at this time a night, but I...I just didn't know where else to go and I-I had to leave and-" As she was talking, her eyes began to water, and her voice starting to waver.

"Shh. It's okay. Just come in, it's freezing out there." He ushered them inside as he closed the door behind them. The little girl sat at one of his recliners while Avery sat on the coach. The child had her pajamas on and a small stuffed toy in her arms. Avery wrapped her arms around her stomach and duck her head down, trying to hide her tears. However, her body shook as the sobs began to increase. Karl ran to side a took her into a hug. She cried into his shoulder while he rubbed circles into her back trying to calm her down.

He had not talked Avery in a long time, not even knowing she had a daughter, assuming she is her daughter. Having a few mutual friends, they occasionally crossed paths at gatherings but never really stopped to converse with each other. Perhaps this little girl caused him to see Avery less.

After awhile, the sobbing turned to sniffles and then it was just silence.

"Want to tell me what's wrong and why you came?" He spoke in a gentle, comforting tone. He could feel her pick her head up from his shoulder.

"No, not yet. I just had to leave him. I'm sorry for coming here, we can leave."

"No. You can both stay here as long as you need."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to-."

"Its fine, trust me."

"Thank you so much, Karl. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Your welcome." The sleeping girl in the chair soon caught his attention. "By the way, who is that little girl?"

"That's my daughter, Madison. She's four." Avery explained

"She must have been exhausted."

"Yeah. I had to wake her up in the middle of her sleep."

"Let's find you two a room to sleep in." Avery was about to pick Madison up, when she was stopped by Karl.

"I got her." As Karl picked to small girl, she began to squirm but soon found a crook in the side of his neck to fall asleep on. Allowing Karl to lead the way, they went up the stairs that led to a long hallway.

"Umm... Can we have a room near yours? I mean if you don't have one, but-"

"Hey, There's a room across the hallway from mine. You can have that one." He turned a right as they neared his room. Avery was astonished at his generosity.

"Karl, you have no idea how much of a favor you're doing me. I cannot thank you enough." Avery had not expected this when she came here. In fact, she hadn't even expected to come here. But, as she was driving she suddenly entered his mind. The time he gave her a shoulder to cry on when her boyfriend broke up with her or when her parents had died. He was there for her.

"Don't mention it." They reached his room along with the room across from it. Avery turned the doorknob and opened the was a queen sized bed with black and white sheets. The TV was hung on the wall with a dresser underneath. Next to the bed was a long chair with a window covered by curtains. Along with that, there was a few paintings. Karl laid the young girl on the bed as Avery laided her coat on the chair.

"I'll be in the room over if you need me."

"Thanks, Karl. Good night."

"Good night." He exited the room, closing the door behind him.

Avery internally sighed, looking around. She was, in a sense, glad she had came here. Karl's listening ear and his generosity was what the woman needed. Gently smiling, Avery laid herself down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. Thoughts filled her head of the decision she had made before she drifted to sleep.

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**There ya go! I would love to lie and promise regular reviews but there won't be. Sorry. However I have finished chapter 2 and will be posting later this week. **


	2. Chapter 2

Well hello there, you wonderful reader. Okay I'll be honest. This chapter had been written for awhile. It's just I didn't think it was good enough for you wonderful people. So I cleaned it up a bit and...I just hope you like it.

I own nothing except Madison, my baby

Avery woke up feeling drained, physically and emotionally. Her night was filled with tossing and turning on her part. Her fears waking her up in the middle of the night. But, she continued to reassure herself and eventually those nervous emotions took a backseat to the overall peace she had now.

Avery allowed herself to take in her surroundings and began to take in that subtle smell of pancakes.. She could have smiled but thoughts of the past clouded her mind. Nonetheless, she pulled herself out of bed. Her daughter lay next her, sleeping. She was about to wake her until she thought about it. She deserved another hour of sleep after yesterday. Kissing her forehead, she walked out of the room and left a crack open in the door.

Walking towards the kitchen, Avery saw Karl in front of a griddle flipped the fluffy cake. Her footsteps caught his attention.

"Good morning." he greeted

"Morning."

"How'd you sleep?" He turned from his position at the griddle to the cabinets and looked through them, grabbing three plates. He set them down on the table and went to the kitchen to grab the plate of pancakes.

"I've been better."

Looking around, he noticed a missing presence. "Where's Madison?"

"I decided to let her sleep a bit longer. Poor girl was so tired." She pulled her chair out at the table and sat down. She began to stare at him, obviously lost in thought. At first oblivious to this, he took notice and returned her gaze with a questioning gaze.

"What are you thinking about?" His voice shook her out of her thoughts. Her head turned back to him with that same smile from last night back.

"Thank you for everything." she declared

He chuckled. "You don't have to keep thanking me."

"Yes, I do. You have been extremely helpful to me and Madi. I have to keep thanking you." She explained

"Whatever." He dropped the plate of pancakes in the middle of table along with a bottle of syrup.

"What...no whipped cream?" she said, jokingly.

"Well, we can't forget about the whipped cream now, can we?" He shook the can, before spraying some directly into his mouth, then handing it to Avery.

"How sweet." She replied, sarcastically. He nodded his head in reply with a smirk. They continued in silence until Karl hesitantly spoke up.

"So...what's next?" Karl looked at her, a touch of worry on his face. While he didn't specify, Avery knew what he meant by the question.

"I guess I need to start looking for other places to live. It shouldn't take too long. Then I need to figure out a way to get my stuff." Avery tensed up when she thought about him again. She could feel the fear and pain already.

"Are you okay, Avery?" Karl asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah, why?" She hadn't even realized how lost she was in her own world.

"It's just that you're usually staring off into space with an ominous look on your face. Is something troubling you?"

She decided to be honest. "Actually, there is. I'm just not ready to tell. Sorry."

"Okay, that's fine. I've got some work to do. If you need anything, I'll be in the office. Or...ya know, if you would like talk, I can listen." He picked his empty plate along with himself and put the dish in the sink.

Avery was left at the table alone with her own thoughts. She crossed her arms onto it and slammed them down with a sigh. Crap.

Around noon, Karl had opted to take a break from work. He was craving a sandwich for lunch. Usually, he had certain time frames he would use to get his work done but...

'I always have tomorrow.' He reasoned to himself. He wanted to take it easy today. Picking himself up out of his chair, Karl organized his work in neat piles so that he can later pick up where he left off. He made his way downstairs to make himself a BLT for lunch.

Upon exiting the stairs into the ground level, Karl entered the living room to see Madison playing on the couch with Darcy, his cat.

A friend had offered him the feline straight from the litter. He couldn't say no. He had just gotten her a month ago, so the domestic shorthair was still a kitten and fairly small. Darcy was a perfect little companion. She usually loved being by his side, but she seem to be enjoying Madison's attention.

"Hey, Madison." He greeted as kindly as he could. She gasped and put her hands by her sides, as though she had been caught guilty of a crime.

"I..I'm sowy fow touching youw cat. I fowgot to keep my hands to myself." She kept her head down, avoiding his gaze. He was a bit surprised at her nervousness.

"It's okay. You don't have to ask. I just wanted to see how you were doing?" This evidently calmed her down because she hesitantly put her hand back on The cat and continued to pet her.

"Good. I weally like youw cat." Darcy purred as she rubbed her fur.

"Thanks. Her name is Darcy."

"That's a vewy pwetty name."

"Yeah, it think she likes it. So... are you in ballet?", Karl guessed. Madison had her hair in a bun and was in a black long-sleeved leotard and pink tights. Her face lit up.

"Yes. My teachew is awesome. Her name is Mrs. Natalie. She says I'm weally good." She showed him first positions while he observed with a smile.

"Wow. You are good." Karl continued to watch her ballet demonstration until Avery walked down the stairs.

"Come on Madi, let's go. Me and Madison are heading to ballet."

"You don't have to tell me where you're going. We are adults." He heard her mutter a 'right' before leaving. She would have to reminded herself to quit doing that, wouldn't want to give herself away. 'Old habits die hard, I guess'.

Karl provided a quick wave before the door closed completely. Returning to his original plans, he left for the kitchen. Inside the fridge, he searched for the ingredients before his eyes were drawn to the sandwich in the middle. Pulling it on to the island, he picked up the note on top reading 'Enjoy.' Karl smiled.

"Thanks, Avery." He muttered to himself, smiling

I honestly can't promise you guys anything because I'm an awful person so feel free to tell me what you'd like to happen so I don't get writer's block.

Love you guys.


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